Green Business Recognition Program Inducts Two New Members

Ewing Township and the Ewing Green Team inducted two local businesses into the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program on June 14th, bringing the total number of Program members to ten.

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church and Rock Paper Garden, LLC received proclamations from Mayor Bert Steinmann and the Ewing Council, and were lauded for their consistent efforts to improve sustainability and operate with an environmental focus. 

"Abiding Presence and Rock Paper Garden have gone above and beyond when it comes to implementing sustainable practices," Councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney remarked.  "We are proud to honor their efforts and welcome them to the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program."

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church is well-known around Ewing for the large solar panels that reside on its grounds, which serve as a symbol of the commitment to sustainability shared by its congregation and leadership. With an internal Green Team leading the way, members of Abiding Presence have greatly reduced waste by eliminating one-time-use products with their "Sustainable Hospitality" program, involvement in recycling hard-to-recycle materials, and planting of native flora in their National Wildlife Federation-certified pollinator garden, among many other endeavors.

Pictured here receiving the award with Green Team (EGT) Vice-Chair Evan Crumiller (right) are (from left to right) Pastor Miles Hopgood, and APLC Green Team members Sharon Huber and Heidi Furman (EGT member also). APLC Office Manager Karen Lemorvan (not shown) was the driving force in working with Evan on the certification.

Rock Paper Garden, LLC is a locally owned and operated landscape design and build firm that has incorporated sustainable practices into many different aspects of its work, including the utilization of energy-efficient double-pane windows, the addition of electric vehicles to its fleet, the installation of rain barrels to capture rainwater for reuse as supplemental irrigation, and finding creative ways to recycle used materials.

Receiving the award from Evan is Landscape Architect Dan Burke from Rock Paper Garden.  In addition to his work in modeling sustainable business practices, Dan has also devoted many years to serving on Ewing Township Boards and Commissions such as the Planning Board and the Environmental Commission.

"Rock Paper Garden and Abiding Presence are terrific examples of the outstanding work so many of our local organizations have done to make Ewing Township a better place to live, both in the present and far into the future," Green Team member and Program founder Evan Crumiller said.  "They deserve to be recognized for their work, and so we are honored to include them as the newest members of the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program."

For more information on the Green Business Recognition program, including contact details and applications, please visit ewinggreenteam.org/greenbusiness/.

Proclamations

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

Rock Paper Garden